Nisbah from Five Adventurers is sharing her North West round up again this week.
With the build up to the Summer holidays, there are loads of events on in the north west. The weather may be unsettled but do not let that deter you. Look below for some fabulous family activities both indoors and outdoors. Enjoy.
The sporting highlight of this weekend is the Tour de France starting in Yorkshire. There should be a great family spirit and atmosphere and I am sure there are lots of places which may be great for viewing the ride. Here is the link to the official ride and route to help you plan your weekend. My personal recommendation would be Bolton Abbey.
This weekend the Bolton Abbey area will be placed close to the route the ride will take as the route goes near Skipton. In relation to the route I would recommend that you ring the site and get further details to find out the easiest way to see the ride and the proximity to Bolton Abbey. On the Bolton Abbey site they are running a few events to link in with the Tour de France, the camping one sounds great. We visited Bolton Abbey earlier this year and had a great family day out. Bolton Abbey is home to beautiful woods for walks and exploring, a breathtaking priory, lots of stones for skimming and a beach, what else would you need? But they also have some fantastic features such as the stepping stones (bring spare of clothes for smaller children as a few fell in!), and a gorge to name a few things. The site charges £8 for parking, but the car can be moved between any of the three car parks. We parked on the car park closest to the priory. If the sun has its hat on, I would recommend packing a BBQ and parking in middle car park. Once you have finished your BBQ you have the option of great walks to either side. Its a great day out.
Saturday
The museum was featured in our things to do last weekend and it's made it on this weekend too. Continuing with the Tour de France theme, Eureka are running a number of activities to get the family into the spirit of the event. There are science of sports workshops, how athletes are able to use forces to achieve and better their personal bests. There is a charge to enter the museum but a single day pass can be changed into an annual pass for free. We have also found a 10% off code to make the visit a little cheaper, code is 125.
Dino Jaws
My Raihan is dino mad. He struggles to say lots of things but has mastered the names of over 10 dinosaurs. Over in Leeds they have a new exhibition showcasing frighteningly life-like moving dinosaurs, with a focus on the subject of dinosaurs and their food. Children can get involved in a number of things including digging fossil evidence and looking inside the heads of dinosaurs to see how their teeth and jaws moved together. The exhibition is aimed at families with children aged seven and older, with some activities aimed at children aged four to six. We are attending this exhibition this weekend and it sounds like a fantastic day out. The exhibition runs from the 3rd June - 7th September and admission charge is £5.95 per person with children under 3 going free. The exhibition is located in the Dock Hall opposite Royal Armouries in Leeds. I would recommend (if you have the time) to also do a visit to the royal armouries which has free admission for all visitors and I have heard great things about it.
Stanley Park (Blackpool)
Stanley Park will be full with Giants on Saturday. Word Pool have organised a Family Day where the giants will be taking over. Between 1pm - 4pm, you can use the map and enter into various lands. Each lands has different activities and things to do. There may also be a Gruffalo visiting. Sounds like a great day out and coupled with the location at Stanley Park it should be fantastic! The organisers have said the activities/walk around will take about 2 hours so if you want to do the whole thing, arrive before 2.
Stanley Park will be full with Giants on Saturday. Word Pool have organised a Family Day where the giants will be taking over. Between 1pm - 4pm, you can use the map and enter into various lands. Each lands has different activities and things to do. There may also be a Gruffalo visiting. Sounds like a great day out and coupled with the location at Stanley Park it should be fantastic! The organisers have said the activities/walk around will take about 2 hours so if you want to do the whole thing, arrive before 2.
Mrs Dowson's Farm (Whalley)
Mrs Dowson's farm is a great farm to visit especially with young children. Its priced perfectly for a half day activity (or longer if you should so desire) and is also regularly on Groupon too. There's a great selection of animals and they have feeding times for the lambs etc so its great to let the children get involved. This weekend in addition to the usual activities they also archery sessions provided by Blackburn Archery and a number reptiles for the children to hold.
Hansel & Gretel (Lancaster)
This summer, Williamson Park will be hosting a number of traditional tales and start off the season with the retelling of the classic tale of Hansel & Gretel. It sounds great with a magical trip through the woods, following the breadcrumbs with the story brought to life like never before. It is recommended for children over 5 and I always thought the story was a little dark so may not be the best for young children. I love outdoor plays after watching one in Melbourne. Should be fantastic, link has the prices and timings.
Festival Market's Summer Family Fun Day(Morecambe)
There will be family friendly entertainment starting from 10am. There are lots of activities planned from circus acts, a bouncy castle assault course. The day looks really good, with free competitions, local schools doing dance performances and Lancashire Fire service will be at the event with a display.
Penny Farm Fun Day (Blackpool)
When looking for free things to do, I first came across Penny Farm in Blackpool. The Farm is home to over 65 horses and the site is run by volunteers. The farm looks great for a visit and visitors can look at the horses and also do a fun trail across the farm. Seems like a fab day out and this weekend they have a flyball competition. Visitors are allowed to bring their dogs on site and let them try the dog agility course, there is a children's fancy dress competition.
The old Granada Studio site in Manchester, will have live screening and intentional soccer matches throughout the world cup. Tickets are free but booking is required (link is above). There is also a high temp zone to get heart rate even faster. There is a celebration of something Brazilian every day so have your Samba moves ready. With the quarter finals on this weekend, I am sure there will be lots of fun activities on for all the family.
Playhouse, Lowry (Salford)
As part of the children's book festival in Manchester, join the team for a family fun in the Playhouse. Taking inspiration from the War Horse production come along and let your children make their own moving puppets. The event is free, and booking is not essential, but it is recommended. This would be a lovely activity for any horse lovers out there. Plus the Quays are an interesting day out with lots to see and do. You also have the option of arriving to the Lowry via the tram which lets the children have a try on another form of transport.
Scarecrow Festival (Liverpool)
There will be a new family of scarecrows for everyone to come and say hello too. The Centre will disaply all the entries to the scarecrow competition on display all weekend. Entry is free and there will be free workshops for families to get involved in from den building to nature art. Full details are here.
University of Liverpool Pop up Shop (Liverpool)
Liverpool University in conjunction with Liverpool 1 and calling all young explorers to take on the desert Island treasure hunt. Setting off from the pop shop, explorers will need to do several challenge in search of Professor Fluffy. You can download the map from facebook or collect it from the pop up shop. To claim you photo in the Hall of fame, evidence of a successful completion of the hunt needs to handed in this weekend to the pop up shop.
Discovery Days (Hall i'th' wood)
Come along to the Hall i'th' wood museum for their free monthly family friendly activities. No need to book, turn up between 1pm - 3pm, Suitable for all ages. I just found this museum this week and the venue itself looks stunning which I think warrants a visit.
Sunday
Picnic in the Park with Rock FM is an event for the whole family. Pack a picnic and head to Astley Park from 11am - 5pm as Rock FM bring their fantastic family stage show to Chorley Council's annual Summer event. It promises to be great day out with wandering entertainers, Alex from CBeebies, exploring Astley Hall and a whole host of other activities. Also, if your family are into cycling then you can join the Great British skyride. Should be a great day (especially if its sunny!!)
Peter Pan (Lytham St Annes)
Lowther Pavilion is staging the classic story of Peter Pan. The days activities start at 10, with a free activity workshop for all people attending the production at 4pm. Tickets are £12 per adult and £7 per children. The production is Page 2 Stage's new adaptation of the classic story. It promises to be lots of fun with music, sword fighting and lots of laughs for all the family. Lowther Pavilion is near the beach so you can pack a picnic and enjoy the scenery and have a stroll along the beach side.
Funz & Games (Manchester)
Frog & Bucket are hosting a family orientated comedy hour. Phil Ellis brings his Edinburgh preview to the Frog & Bucket and there will also be an additional few acts. It sounds like a fantastic idea and should have the whole family in fits of laughter. Doors open at 2pm, and the show is suitable for children aged 8 and above. Free entry for children and £3 for their adults. I think its a fantastic idea for families to go to a comedy show as many parents usually miss out because these shows are usually adult focused. Lets hope this is the first of many.
Festival of Bowland, 50 things to do
The girlguiding community at Waddow Hal are holding an event to mark the Bowland Festival. They are challenging visitors to try and experience 50 things in 1 day event. It sounds like great fun for young and old. They have a whole host of ideas and things to try from craft to zip wires. Booking is essential, please contact Becky Allen on 01200 423186. The cost is £5 per person 10am - 4pm. My daughter is a Rainbow and recently went for trip here and said it was great. For the cost it sounds like a fab day out.
Offers and things to book for future weeks!
I saw a few offers and ideas for next few weeks which require booking so I thought I would share them.
Dr Suess (Clitheroe)
The Grand theatre in Clitheroe are staging a production to allow youngsters to experience the magic and creative world made famous through the Dr Suess books. We love these books and a live show would be captivating for any fans of the books. The show is on Friday 11th 2014, 4:30-6:30 and tickets are £4 and includes food. Would be a great start to the weekend!
Dinosaur Zoo
Whilst we are on the topic of dinosaurs, the Dinosaur Zoo will be showing in the Palace Theatre in Manchester from 18th - 26th July 2014. The show looks great with lots of interaction between the children and the dinosaurs. The show toured in 2013, and was a hugely successful. We are taking our children to this show and thought we'd share this for any other dino lovers out there! I have put it on this weeks round up as I would recommend that you book early.
Gulliver's World
To mark the 60th anniversary of Swizzel's Love Heart's, Gulliver's world are giving entry to anyone who attend with the sweet for a reduced amount of £8 per person. Seems a great deal. The deal is valid for the 5th and 6th July and further details are here.
Blue Planet/South Lakes Zoo/Wellybobs Rock FM Offers are offering half price family entrance to these 3 attractions. They are priced differently with Wellybobs being £9 per family, South Lakes Zoo at £24 per family and Blue Planet Aquarium being £26 per family. Remember to print off the voucher if you buy through one of these radio sites. Having been to all 3, they are all fantastic days out and for half price, these are deals not to be missed.
We hope that you have a fantastic weekend with your families. Lets hope the sun decides to come to play too.
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